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theculturedmarxist · 1 year

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In photos of 2023’s World Economic Forum- or Davos as it is commonly called, after the Swiss resort town where it annually occurs- you might not notice the HEPA filters. They’re in the background, unobtrusive and unremarked upon, quietly cleansing the air of viruses and bacteria. You wouldn’t know- not unless you asked- that every attendee was PCR tested before entering the forum, or that in the case of a positive test, access was automatically, electronically, revoked. And if you happened to get a glimpse of the strange blue lights overhead, you could reasonably assume that their glow was simply a modern aesthetic choice, not the calming buzz of cutting edge Far UVC technology- demonstrated to kill microbes in the air.

It’s hard to square this information with the public narrative about COVID, isn’t it? President Biden has called the pandemic “over”. The New York Times recently claimed that “the risk of Covid is similar to that of the flu” in an article about “hold outs” that are annoyingly refusing to accept continual reinfection as their “new normal”. Yet, this week the richest people in the world are taking common sense, easy- but strict- precautions to ensure they don’t catch Covid-19 at Davos.

These common sense, easy precautions include high-quality ventiliation, use of Far UVC-lighting technology, and PCR testing. You’ll also see some masks at Davos, but generally, the testing + air filtration protocol seems to be effective at preventing the kind of super-spreader events most of us are now accustomed to attending.

It seems unlikely to me that a New York Times reporter will follow the super-rich around like David Attenborough on safari, the way one of their employees did when they profiled middle-class maskers last month. I doubt they will write “family members and friends can get a little exasperated by the hyper-concern” about the assembled Prime Ministers, Presidents and CEOs in Switzerland. After all, these are important people. The kind of people who merit high-quality ventilation. The kind of people who deserve accurate tests.

Why is the media so hellbent on portraying simple, scientifically proven measures like high-quality ventilation as ridiculous and unnecessary as hundreds of people continue to die daily here in the US?

Why is the public accepting a “new normal” where we are expected to get infected over and over and over again, at work events with zero precautions, on airplanes with no masks, and at social dinners trying to approximate our 2019 normal?

We deserve better. We deserve to be #DavosSafe as the hashtag going around on twitter puts it. Your children deserve to be treated with the care that world leaders are treating each other. Your family deserves to be protected from the disease which is still- unlike the flu- the third leading cause of death in the US. We don’t deserve to be shoved back into poorly ventilated workplaces while our politicians and press assure us that only crazy people would demand to breathe clean air.

Clean water and clean food are rights we fought for; we have regulatory bodies that ensure we aren’t exposed to pathogens via our water supply nor our food. In 1854, John Snow famously conducted his Broad Street Pump study in London and demonstrated that cholera was water-bourne; however, it took decades for our public policy to catch up with our scientific knowledge.

A public health case study published by the NBCI describes the years that followed:

The first use of chlorine as a disinfectant for water facilities was in 1897 in England. The first use of this method for municipal water facilities in the United States was in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Chicago, Illinois, in 1915. Other cities followed and the use of chlorination as standard treatment for water disinfection rapidly grew. During the 20th century, death rates from waterborne diseases decreased significantly, and although other additional factors contributed to the general improvements in health (such as sanitation, improved quality of life, and nutrition), the improvement of water quality was, without doubt, a major reason.

Forty-three years passed from the initial demonstration that pathogens were being spread via water, and public action and regulation to halt disease.

Can you imagine, in the 1890s, being somebody who argued against cleaning the water?

Can you imagine, in those years of plentiful cholera, calling the people who demanded shit-free water “hold outs”?

One thing COVID realists are accused of is being “doomsayers” and “fearmongers,” so let me share a dose of optimism about the future with you. When we choose- whenever we choose- to get COVID under control, there’s an exciting new world awaiting us. One, not only without constant COVID reinfection, but where our kids can grow up free of colds, flus, RSV, and many other common bugs. And no, contrary to what you may have heard, staying healthy (shockingly enough) is not bad for children!

Once we choose to institute ventilation standards and introduce new technologies like Far UVC lighting- and embrace masking as an easy, kind, and useful tool to control outbreaks- we can bring every nasty airborne pathogen under control the way we did cholera. We didn’t have the science before; now we do. (I mean that quite literally; I can’t recommend enough the linked Wired article cataloguing the long journey to establishing that Covid is, indeed, airborne).

We face a stark choice; down one road, the one with zero infrastructure upgrades, no air quality regulations, and Covid safety only for those who can afford it, you and your family will get Covid this year. You will get Covid next year. You will continue to get Covid over and over and over again, as the health problems - like cardiac damage, viral persistance, and immune system dysfunction- continue to build up. (The billionaires, of course, will not).

Down the other road, we quite simply treat ourselves the way Davos would. We engage with what the science is telling us and we build a safer, better world for our kids. We embrace the lessons this pandemic is teaching us, and let go of things we now know are harming people. We stop clinging desperately to the idea that 2019 will come back if we just get the virus one more time, and we come together to achieve what we’ve been told is impossible: elimination.

The economic elite thrive on our divisiveness and blame casting. They don’t mind that we’re calling each other names, engaging in racial stereotyping, or leaving disabled people to die, so long as we keep their machine running. But we can choose to stop throwing blame at each other, and direct it where it belongs: at the powerful people who’ve left us to suffer, at the politicians who are whipping people into a frenzy over masks instead of over our millions of dead, at the talking heads on TV that work so hard to convince us: you want to get sick. It’s better than being a *weirdo* or a *hold out*.

We needn’t wait 43 years to redirect our energies. France and Belgium have already introduced new air quality standards, and DIY projects to build Corsi-Rosenthal boxes for schools and healthcare settings have popped up around the country. We have the science, we have the technology. All we need now is the political will and the solidarity to truly end the pandemic- the kind of solidarity the super rich always show with one another.

The billionaires at Davos don’t accept continual Covid reinfection. They demand better. It’s time we demand better too.

#covid #covid 19 #covid prevention #davos world economic forum #world economic forum #forever covid

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yamameta-inc · 4 months

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Safety for the rich Ordinary people have zero clue just how many tools the rich are using to avoid this virus. The rich are photographed without masks during public appearances, giving the public the impression that it’s safe to ditch masks. But what we don’t see are all of the precautions being taken behind the scenes. Nasal photodisinfection Celebrities are using hospital-grade technology to photodisinfect their nostrils. KISS’s manager, Don McGhee, talked about the band’s use of nasal photodisinfection in an interview, saying, “Without this, we wouldn’t be on the road.” The technology, called Steriwave, has been used by hospitals to reduce infections in surgery patients for more than a decade and is now available commercially—for a very high cost. Event Scan & Covid prevention companies [...] And they are paying for it. The rich CEOs of these major companies and rich government officials are getting everyone PCR (or LAMP) tested before their big corporate parties, screening all their guests beforehand, and taking Covid very seriously—while telling their low-level employees to return to the office. Far UV-C The schools, workplaces, and homes of the rich are being outfitted with special UV lights that kill viruses in the air—including Covid-19. Far UV can continuously and autonomously eliminate over 90% of pathogens in the air (and on the exposed surfaces) of an enclosed room. These high-tech lights cost thousands of dollars. [...] LAMP Testing Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) testing may be the “better sibling of PCR testing” and is being used by the rich to rapidly diagnose Covid-19. [...] Fancy private schools, like this one (whose tuition fees are $17,664—$18,900 annually) are requiring all visitors to submit samples for LAMP testing—in addition to daily testing of students, teachers, and families, requiring high-quality masks, cleaning the air, serving outdoor lunches, and a lot more. When you're seeing photos of maskless rich people gathering together, it may look like they aren’t taking any Covid precautions. But the reality is: they've all tested beforehand. They’ve hired private companies to screen their guests, using multiple layers of protection. They are not taking any chances with this virus, because they know it’s extremely serious and nothing like the flu.

-The Pandemic Isn’t Over: The rich know it. You should, too.

#covid #covid19 #y'all need to read this article it's really good

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kissme-suguru · 3 months

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Under The Influence

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖ Nanami Kento ♡︎ CEO AU! x Fem Reader

Warnings: Explicit content MDNI, Soft Dom Nanami, smut, unprotected drunk sex, creampie, missionary, cunnilingus, praise

A/N: This originally was gonna be a multi character thing then i got too into CEO Nanami. Any feedback is appreciated!

Tonight was the annual corporate dinner for Nanami's company where everyone got together to go over the accomplishments for the year and give out recognition. Every year Nanami made sure his employees were taken care of, renting out the upper floor of an extravagant restaurant for the the event and treating everyone to a nice dinner. Being the stoic man he is he sat back and watched as everyone enjoyed themselves but every once in awhile his eyes would land on you. His pretty little assistant who he longed for so desperately.

From the moment you walked into his office for the interview he knew he was in trouble, his eyes lingered on your figure which was shown off in the pencil skirt and blouse you wore. But keeping up his reputation as a professional he put those thoughts aside and hired you cause he thought you'd be a good asset to the company. (certainly no other reason)

Nanami watched you mingled with some of his other employees, taking sips from his scotch as the jealousy began to rise in him. He was already on his third drink and you being the sole reason why he was indulging more than usual. Despite trying to keep up his facade he hated when others captured your attention; to him it wasn't fair. He wanted you and not only that he wanted to make sure everyone knew you were his and his alone.

When the event came to an end you took notice of how tipsy Nanami was and of course as the doting assistant you helped him into the back of his car and rode back to his penthouse with him to make sure he got home safe. In the car his muscular body leaned against you in his drunken state, which you allowed since he seemed to take comfort in your presence.

After entering his penthouse you carefully guided him to his bedroom and guided him to lay on his back. He chuckled quietly sprawling out like a starfish as he watched you move to his bathroom and gather a cold rag. "Such a sweet thing, taking care of your boss."

A soft giggle fell from your lips while you approached, placing the rag on the forehead. "It's my job to take care of you, sir. Besides I've never really seen you drink before so I wanna make sure you're alright."

His hand reached out to grab your wrist and pull you closer to him, causing a soft gasp to leave your lips and look at him in confusion. The drinks from restaurant seemed to give him the liquid courage he needed to finally express himself to you. "That's what I like about you Y/N-" His gaze traveled down to your lips briefly before meeting your eyes. "You're so selfless, so kind, so...perfect."

Nanami's words brought heat to your cheeks and made your knees weak. Of course you had been attracted to your boss but you didn't think he would possibly return your feelings.

"Kento-"

"I want you darling. I need you, I have since I first laid eyes on that pretty face." He let go of your wrist and moved his hand up to stroke your cheek, gently pulling your bottom lip down with his thumb. "Tell me you feel the same?"

Looking deeply in Nanami's eyes you nodded slowly. "I want you too, Kento." His eyes widened with a mix of desperation and longing after hearing your answer. He leaned closer, his warm breath fanning against your skin as he whispered, "I want to taste you, Y/N. I want to feel you wrapped around me. Please...let me have you." His hands tightened their grip on your waist, desire evident in his touch.

Nanami wasted no time pressing his lips against yours in a passionate kiss after you nodded in approval, his hand roaming over your body with a desperate hunger. He slowly slid off your dress savoring the sight of your exposed skin that he had long dreamed about. The maroon dress pooled at your feet leaving your lace clad body on display.

A nervous smile appeared on your lips as you turned your head slightly, nervous to meet his hungry gaze. Nanami noticed your flushed cheeks and couldn't help but find it incredibly endearing. He gently cupped your face, turning it towards him so he could gaze into your eyes. "You're so beautiful, darling."

He leaned in to press a tender kiss against your lips, his touch gentle and soft. "Don't be shy, my sweet. I want to see every expression on your face as i pleasure you." His words were laced with a hint of teasing, his desire to see you unravel in his voice.

Kento's eyes darkened with desire as he watched you settle onto the plush mattress. He slowly crawled over you, slipping off his shirt hovering above you. His hands trailed along your sides, his touch feather-light as he explored every curve and dip of your body.

"I can't resist you." He leaned down to capture your lips in a searing kiss, his tongue dancing with yours in a passionate dance.

His hands moved lower, caressing your thighs and inching closer to the source of your desire. He could feel the heat radiating from your core, and it only fueled his own need. With a teasing smirk, he whispered against your lips, "Tell me, pretty girl . How badly do you want me to taste you?"

A shaky breath fell from your lips as she looked up at Nanami. “Please, I need to feel your lips on me."

He couldn't deny you any longer. With a low growl, he lowered himself between your legs, his hands gently parting them and pulling down your panties to expose your glistening folds.

He leaned in, his hot breath fanning against your sensitive skin, before he pressed his lips against your throbbing clit. His tongue flicked against the sensitive bud, eliciting a gasp from your lips. He savored your taste, his tongue delving deeper, exploring every inch of your wetness.

His hands gripped your thighs, holding you in place as he devoured you with an insatiable hunger. He alternated between gentle licks and firm sucks, his mouth working tirelessly to bring you to the edge of pleasure. He wanted to hear your moans, to feel your body tremble beneath him as he pleasured you to the brink of ecstasy. He pleasured your body with utter ease, listening to every little sound and finding out what made you tick.

It didn't take long for your orgasm to approach, whining out his name as your back arched into the plush bed. "K-Kento."

Nanami's name falling from your lips in that desperate, needy tone sent a surge of satisfaction through him. He intensified his ministrations, his tongue flicking and swirling with purpose. He wanted to push you over the edge, to make you unravel completely.

He could feel the tension building within you, the telltale signs of your impending release. With a final, firm suck, he brought you to the peak of pleasure. Your body convulsed beneath him as waves of ecstasy washed over you, your moans filling the room.

As you rode out the aftershocks of your orgasm, Nanami crawled up your body, his lips finding yours in a searing kiss. You could taste yourself on your lips, and it only fueled his own desire. "You're so fucking beautiful when you come undone," he whispered against your lips, his voice filled with a mix of adoration and lust. "But I'm not done with you yet, darling. I want to make you cum again and again."

Your arms wrapped around his neck as you looked up at him with need, subtly grinding your pussy against his clothed bulge.

Nanami groaned as he felt your wetness grinding against him, the friction sending a jolt of pleasure through his body. He couldn't resist the temptation any longer. With a primal growl, he quickly undid his belt and discarded his pants along with his boxers somewhere on the floor. He captured your lips in a passionate kiss, hands gripping your hips tightly.

He aligned himself with your entrance, teasingly brushing against your slick folds. "You're so fucking wet for me, baby." he murmured, his voice thick with desire. "I can't wait to feel you wrapped around me."

With one swift motion, he plunged deep inside you, filling you completely. The sensation of your tightness around him was intoxicating, and he couldn't help but let out a low groan of pleasure. Resting his forehead against yours allowing you to adjust to his girth momentarily before you gave him the go ahead. He began to move, his thrusts deep and powerful, setting a rhythm that matched the urgency of his desire.

His hands roamed over your body, gripping and squeezing, his touch possessive and demanding. He wanted to leave his mark on you, to brand you as his. His hips met yours with each thrust, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room.

"You're mine." he growled, his voice filled with possessiveness. "No one else can make you feel like this. Only me." His words were punctuated by his relentless pace, his need for you driving him to push you both to the edge of pleasure.

Nails raked up and down his back as you wrapped your legs around his waist. Moans rolling off your tongue next to his ear in desperation. Your body clung to him like it depended on it.

Nanami's body shuttered at the sensation of your nails digging into his back, the mix of pleasure and pain only fueling his desire. He relished in the sound of your moans, the need in your voice echoing in his ear.

He continued to thrust into you, his movements becoming more urgent and primal. The sound of your bodies colliding filled the room. He could feel the tension building within him, the need to release threatening to consume him.

With a possessive grip on your hips, he angled his thrusts, hitting that sweet spot deep within you. "Fuck," he groaned, his voice filled with raw need. "You feel so fucking good. I can't hold back anymore."

His thrusts became faster and harder, his body moving in perfect sync with yours. He could feel the coil of pleasure tightening within him, ready to unravel. With one final, powerful thrust, he spilled himself inside you, release washing over you both in waves of ecstasy.

He collapsed onto the bed, his breathing heavy and labored. He pulled you close, his arms wrapping around you in a protective embrace. "You're mine, darling," he whispered, his voice filled with a mix of possessiveness and tenderness. "And I'll always take care of you."

#jjk drabbles #jjk smut #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jjk angst #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen smut #jujutsu kaisen x you #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #nanami x reader #nanami kento #jjk #jujustu kaisen #jujustsu kaisen x reader #jjk nanami #jjk anime #nanami smut #jujutsu kaisen

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workingclasshistory · 11 months

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On this day, 15 June 1990, the Battle of Century City took place, as police in Los Angeles attacked striking janitors and their supporters during a peaceful Service Employees International Union demonstration. Janitors in the Century City office complex, most of whom were employed by cleaning contractor ISS, had gone out on strike on May 29 demanding improvements to pay and conditions. On the June 15 protest, LAPD officers brutally attacked the workers and their supporters, leaving several people seriously injured, including one pregnant woman who miscarried as a result. Rather than deter the workers, the violence caused mass outrage. And ISS subsequently agreed to recognise the workers' union, provide for family health coverage and pay a living wage. The event also began to be commemorated with the creation of an annual June 15 Justice for Janitors Day. * If you value our work researching and promoting people's history like this, please consider supporting us on patreon, where you can also get exclusive content and benefits: https://patreon.com/workingclasshistory https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=644834894356396&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

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jjunieworld · 15 days

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𓍼 ˋ✮ TXT MASTERLIST minors dni with my nsfw works or you’ll be blocked!

key: fluff (☁️), angst (🌪️), smut (🥛), smau (📲), written series (📖), one shot (📓), drabble (📄), other (💬), ongoing (🎬), completed (📨), hiatus (📪), discontinued (🗑️) note: for my works, i consider drabbles to be under 2k words. ∿ [ continue on to . . . works in progress or request ]

𓍼 ˋ✮ OT5/MULTI

jjunieworld's 2024 valentine's day event having another member's photocard in your phone⌇💬,☁️ you called your pet "baby" and not them⌇💬,☁️ txt as mitski lyrics⌇💬,🌪️,☁️

𓍼 ˋ✮ YEONJUN 𐙚 soft thoughts ⋆ hard thoughts

romeo & juliet⌇📲,☁️,🗑️ the hybe theatre club has an unspoken belief, whoever plays romeo and juliet in the annual play each year will end up falling in love with each other. this year, you and the person you hate the most get casted together.

lip gloss!⌇1.9k - 📄,🥛,☁️ while getting ready for your date, yeonjun notices how you kept licking your lips after applying your lip gloss. let’s just say you don’t make it to your date as planned…

𓍼 ˋ✮ SOOBIN 𐙚 soft thoughts ⋆ hard thoughts

all for a bet⌇📲,🌪️,📨 choi soobin has always been the popular kid surrounded by his popular friends. you... not so much. one night, soobin and his friends make bet that soobin can't get you to date him in a month. unfortunately for you, you're a hopeless romantic.

the great bake off!⌇8.6k - 📓,☁️ spilt milk [part two]⌇4.0k - 📓,🥛 after getting fired from your job as a pizza delivery driver, you’re in desperate need to find a new job before you get kicked out of your apartment. that’s when you hear about the local bakery looking for employees. thinking, “why not? i’ve worked with dough before!”, you apply and actually get the job. that’s when you and the son of the bakery’s owner decide that it would be fun to compete to see who can make the most baked goods for a prize.

from the start⌇3.1k - 📓,☁️,🌪️ you never really understood the saying “you’ll always remember your first love,” but that was before you fell in love with your bestfriend soobin. now all of it makes sense. you notice everything about him, from his dimpled smile to the way he could go on and on about the things he loves. and that just makes you fall for him more. cupid has shot an arrow through your heart and you can’t take keeping your feelings for him inside anymore.

lather⌇2.5k - 📄,🥛 to help raise money for charity you and your friends make your way over to the rich neighborhood to handwash cars in your best skimpy bathing suits and clothing.

𓍼 ˋ✮ BEOMGYU 𐙚 soft thoughts ⋆ hard thoughts

"kiss the prettiest girl in the room"⌇2.3k - 📓,☁️ you and your bestfriend beomgyu decide on going to a new year’s eve party so you’re not bored at the start of the new year. the party goers suggest that you all should play truth or dare. one of beomgyu’s friends decides to dare him to kiss the prettiest girl in the room, knowing you have a crush on him.

don't delete the kisses⌇9.3k - 📓,🌪️,🥛 two years ago, you admitted to yourself that you were in love with your bestfriend beomgyu. two years ago, you and your bestfriend beomgyu stopped being bestfriends. now he’s an up and coming musician and you see his face and hear his music almost everywhere in your local town; not knowing that the songs he writes are about you.

more than this?⌇3.1k - 📓,🥛 when beomgyu asked you to be fuck buddies, you thought it was risky considering your already growing feelings for him. but, you just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be close to him in any way that you could. now you’re wondering if the two of you will ever be anything more than this.

𓍼 ˋ✮ TAEHYUN 𐙚 soft thoughts ⋆ hard thoughts

february 14th⌇13.6k - 📓,🌪️,☁️ this has to be the worst day of your life. and just your luck, the day keeps repeating. over and over again. and you don’t know why. you get to relive the same day where you finally garner the courage to ask your crush, kang taehyun, out and get to relive the part where he rejects you each time.

6:41am⌇0.9k - 📄,☁️ you’re awoken early in the morning from taehyun’s alarm to go to the gym and decide to go with him. you end up distracting him from his routine with your staring and decide to encourage him with kisses to help him.

meet cute⌇1k - 📄,☁️ you had a thought and a dream, you were going to be a magician. so you did what one who wants to be a magician does next, you went to a magic store. and what did you do? accidentally knock over a shelf of bang snaps and came face to face with an actual magician.

𓍼 ˋ✮ HUENINGKAI 𐙚 soft thoughts ⋆ hard thoughts

stupid cupid!⌇6.5k - 📓,☁️ hueningkai, better known as cupid, is known for his art in helping people fall in love. shooting his arrows here and there, getting those who are meant to be together. what happens when after he shoots one of his love arrows at you, the other one somehow ends up hitting him?

spin the bottle⌇1.4k - 📄,☁️ you’re what people like to call a “wallflower.” your more extroverted friends have been doing everything in their power to try and break you out of that. so they dragged you along to a party and somehow you’re stuck playing spin the bottle with people you barely know.

a bed in your shape⌇1.4k - 📄,🌪️ a life in your eyes [part two]⌇7k - 📓,🌪️,🥛 for as long as you could remember, you’ve been in love with your bestfriend kai. the only problem is, he never loved you back. yet, you can’t stop imagining your life with him.

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calabria-mediterranea · 5 days

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25 April - Anniversary of Italy's Liberation

25 April also known as the Anniversary of Italy's Liberation is a national holiday in Italy that commemorates the victory of the Italian resistance movement against Nazi Germany and the Italian Social Republic, puppet state of the Nazis and rump state of the fascists, culmination of the liberation of Italy from German occupation and of the Italian civil war in the latter phase of World War II. That is distinct from Republic Day (Festa della Repubblica), which takes place on 2 June and commemorates the 1946 Italian institutional referendum.

Every year on 25 April Italy celebrates Liberation Day, known in Italian as Festa della Liberazione, with a national public holiday.

In addition to the closure of schools, public offices and most shops, the day is marked with parades across the country, organised by ANPI, Italy's partisan association which preserves the memory of the Resistance movement against Fascism.

The occasion is held in commemoration of the end of the Fascist regime and of the Nazi occupation during world war two, as well as the victory of Italy's Resistance movement of partisans who opposed the regime.

Formed in 1943, the partigiani comprised a network of anti-Fascist activists, from diverse backgrounds including workers, farmers, students and intellectuals, across Italy.

Resistance

Together they united in armed resistance against the Nazi occupation and the Fascist regime, making their struggle both a war of liberation and a civil war.

The annual event marks the day in 1945 when a nationwide radio broadcast calling for a popular uprising and general strike against the Nazi occupation and Fascist regime was announced by the National Liberation Committee of Upper Italy (CLNAI), a political umbrella organisation representing the Italian Resistance movement.

This announcement - made by partisan and future president of Italy Sandro Pertini - resulted in the capture and death of Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, who was shot three days later.

The Festa della Liberazione represents a significant turning point in Italy's history, paving the way for the referendum of 2 June 1946 when Italians voted in favour of a republic and against the monarchy which had been discredited during the war and whose members went into exile.

Scurati controversy

This year's event takes place against the backdrop of a political controversy after the state broadcaster RAI stopped a well-known Italian writer from delivering an anti-fascist monologue on television a few days before the Festa della Liberazione.

Antonio Scurati accused RAI of censorship after his monologue was dropped abruptly from the Saturday night talkshow Chesarà for "editorial reasons".

The writer claimed that the move highlighted the alleged attempts by premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government to exert its influence over the state broadcaster which has seen several veteran presenters leave over the last year including Fabio Fazio, Bianca Berlinguer and Amadeus.

In his speech Scurati criticised the "ruling post-Fascist party" for wanting to "re-write history" rather than "repudiate its neo-fascist past".

RAI director Paolo Corsini rejected any talk of censorship, as did Meloni who responded to the controversy by posting Scurati's text on her Facebook page, stating that the broadcaster had "simply refused to pay 1800 euro (the monthly salary of many employees) for a minute of monologue".

Meloni added that the Italian people "can freely judge" the contents of the text which was later read live on air by Chesarà presenter Serena Bortone in an act of solidarity with Scurati.

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jksprincess10 · 1 year

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I’m starvin’ darling || Dbf!Joel and reader

I’m blaming @itgetsdark-x for this. Heavily inspired by one of her ideas.

A/N: No outbreak. Joel lost his wife and daughter.

CW: Smut (MDNI) Age gap (reader in her mid twenties, Joel in his 40s), squirting, face riding.

Joel had been employed at your dad’s construction company for the last 5 years. After he lost his daughter and his wife, he let go of his own company he had with his brother as it was too much pressure for him. He seemed happy, working for your dad. They had become best friends. And when you came back home from studying in another state to become a teacher, you met him.

A gentleman in his 40s, dark brown curls greying in some spots. He had a nicely trimmed beard and kind eyes. Very charismatic and charming. You were attracted to him and insanely lonely for a girl in your mid-twenties. But surely, it was just a stupid girly crush.

You’d see him a lot as you were living with your lonely dad, taking care of him while trying to find a steady contract as a teacher. It had always been respectful, distant.

Until it wasn’t.

A month ago, he picked you up almost black-out drunk from a bar when your dad was already deep asleep. You had kissed in his pick-up truck in front of the house. After that, you kept seeing each other, but never addressing the nature of your relationship. You wanted all of him, and you took every crumb of his self he gave you, whether it was lazy kissing or heavy sex. You wanted it all.

It was the worst idea. But you were indulging in it, living in your obscene bubble until it would actually pop and break everyone around you. You would steal kisses in the kitchen when your dad wasn’t looking, you would spend the night at his place to give him some release when he finished late at the worksite.

Today, you had to leave the bubble you made up to be in public with him. You had to keep a respectful distance. It was an important event, your dad’s company’s annual barbecue. You were coming to help, and well, it was also at your house.

It was a warm summer day in Texas, the shining sun was high in the sky and the heat didn’t come only from seeing your lover.

You were wearing a sweet summer dress. It was a shade of dark green and decorated with flowers. You had put up your hair and laced it with a bow, which made you look like the sweet, innocent girl you weren’t. But this look was popular with your colleagues and got you loads of compliments, so you would know it would make Joel fall to his knees.

You were offering smiles and hugs in your backyard while your dad was already working the BBQ. You were always popular with your dad’s employees; they all loved you. Joel was keeping a protective eye on you from a distance, sipping on his beer.

“Anyone want more drinks? I’ll go inside and grab some.” You offered.

A lot of people raised their hand and thanked you.

“Le’mme help you out, sweetheart. You can’t bring all that by yourself.”

Joel. You smiled sweetly at him and offered your thanks as the two of you went back inside the house, the freshness of the kitchen tiles on your bare feet.

He looked around to make sure you two were alone and grabbed your waist to steal a kiss from you. Your hands laid flat on his chest, feeling the soft cotton fabric of his t-shirt.

“You look fuckin’ amazing, darlin’. Can’t wait to have you all for myself.”

You pulled on his shirt to bring him closer to you and got up on your tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

“Y’know the best part? I’m not wearing anything under it.”

He hummed in response and went for another kiss, but you pulled away with a teasing smile. You turned to the fridge and bent down to grab a fresh pack of beers, giving him a perfect view of your naked behind. You turned around before he could say anything and shoved the beer pack in his arms. You took another one and went back to the backyard. He looked so frustrated with you. You knew you were playing a dangerous game and frankly, the adrenaline you got from it made your heart race.

The two of you went back to the backyard and you served the beers to everyone who wanted one.

The party usually lasted until late at night. You had barely finished your diner and you just wanted to leave with Joel, but you had to be patient.

***

The sun was replaced by the stars and the music was blasting in the backyard. Drunken men were dancing, including your dad. You couldn’t help but laugh at your old man.

“Oh my god dad, you’re embarrassing me. ”

“Come on, my sweet daughter, dance with me!”

You got up to oblige, twirling in your dress. Joel was looking at you two with a smile and he could sometimes catch the glimpse of your soft curves. You shot him a sweet and innocent smirk.

Another man took you from your dad’s arms. He was the son of another employee, and you couldn’t care less about this white skinny guy, but you tried to. Only to make Joel jealous. Your bodies flowed together, and you were closer than you should’ve been. Arms intertwined behind the man’s neck, you had a perfect view of your lover’s grumpy expression. You saw him mouth “Just you wait.” And you smiled brightly at him. When your dance partner asked what you were doing after, you simply said you’d be busy. And God, you would be.

***

Finally, you found the stillness and silence of your home. Your dad had already gone up to his room and he was probably snoring, long gone after the number of beers he took. Joel had stayed to help you clean, well… that was his excuse. But you two knew you were the reason he stayed.

The second your duties were finished, he was all over you, hands grabbing at every inch of skin he could find, mouth altering between kissing your lips and leaving open-mouthed kisses on your neck. You breathed heavily against him, even more as you felt his fingers playing with the edge of your dress.

“You fuckin’ tease… Couldn’t stand seeing that guy all over you…” His fingers creeped under the dress to brush against your burning heat. “ Couldn’t stand knowing you were naked under there for me.”

You pushed him to your bedroom that was on the ground floor, before locking the door behind your hungry bodies. Your lips smashed against his, all teeth and no delicateness. Frankly, you hated waiting so long for you two to be alone. But every time, the waiting was worth the wait.

Joel laid his back on your bed, pulling you on top of him without breaking the kiss. You could feel every inch of his body against the thin fabric of your dress, but still, you wanted more. You wanted to crawl into his skin, so he’d never forget you.

Strong hands met your ass and pushed until you were straddling his neck. You looked down at him, terrified. You had never done this and suddenly, you felt self-conscious of every inch of your body.

It was like Joel read your mind.

“C’mon darling, I’m starving. I’m taking care of you tonight.”

You inhaled sharply.

“Don’t want to kill you.”

“Stop being ridiculous and c’me here.”

He gave you another strong push so you would sit on his face. His hands came down to lift your dress again. He left a kiss on your throbbing heat, and you whined at the feeling. You had thought about him touching you all day and you were so sensitive.

“You’re beautiful in this dress. All for me.”

He licked a stripe up your pussy. One of your hands found his curls and the other one grabbed on the bed’s headboard. Finally, you completely committed and sat on his mouth.

“That’s my good girl.” He praised.

His gorgeous nose was pressing against your clit as his tongue was fucking your hole. Every movement of his head stimulated every inch of you. Your hips moved against him, looking for more friction.

You were ridiculously close even though you had just started. His name fell quietly from your opened lips.

“M’close, Joel…”

You leaned into his touch, both hands on the headboard, as you were falling apart. White flashed before your eyes and a ball was coming undone in your stomach. Even though you had your orgasm, he kept going, pushing your sensitive body to find its limits.

“C’mon darlin’, I know you can give me more than that.”

His tongue circled your clit while one of his fingers came up to stimulate you from the inside. He curled his finger inside of your body. You concentrated on every sensation he gave you and it wasn’t long until you gave him more. This time, the feeling was different, more intense. He kept working you through your orgasm, drinking every drop of you.

Finally, you fell beside him, and you looked horrified as you saw the mess you had made. Your pillowcase and Joel’s face were ruined. Joel wiped his mouth and turned to meet your gaze.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry.” You apologized, cheeks burning.

“Don’t. It’s normal, and it’s hot.”

He pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“Wanna go again?” He whispered and you nodded enthusiastically. You were drunk on him, and you wanted every drop of pleasure he could give you. He went down on your body, lifting the dress to your waist.

“But, you – ”

“We have all night, sweetheart.”

His face disappeared between your thighs once again.

#joel miller smut #joel miller fanfictions #joel miller x yn #joel miller x reader #dbf joel miller #dbf joel

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kentosbabes · 8 months

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Nepo baby Gojo

Smutty af (mdi)

You’ve been working with Gojo’s father for about a year and a half without meeting the infamous son. He goes through women and money faster than the companies stock rises. But his father has pushed him into a role at the company to learn the ropes before he passes to keep the business in the family.

The annual gala is announced and his father mentions that you both should go together since you don’t have dates yet. You awkwardly nod, trying desperately not to make eye contact with him. The meeting ends relatively quickly and start to make your way out of the room only to be stoped by the infamous man himself.

“So I’ll pick you up at 6 sharp? Do you know what you’re wearing yet?” You feel affronted, he hasn’t even asked if you were saying yes to him, he just assumed you would go with him.

You sigh and roll your eyes, “I’ll text you my address and I’m going to wear black.”

He nods his head and nonchalantly says, “well that’s hot.” You feel mortified. You warm up with a little embarrassment as everyone is looking at you and him and quickly speed walk make your way to your office.

You don’t really get dressed up, it’s not that you dress frumpy, but you wear suits and blouses instead of pretty dresses. You don’t really get the chance to wear makeup and go out as much because the job is time consuming. You just felt a little nervous about getting all dolled up for this event because massive shareholders are going to be there and you need to put you best foot forward if you want a job the following day.

The day finishes and you leave a little early to pick up your dress, you say goodbye to the rest of the staff and head out. Gojo making a quip about needing extra time to get prettier. Gojo was a dick. There’s no sugarcoating it. He’s just a dick, but what can you do about any of that? You’re just an employee of his father.

You pick up the dress and dinner on the way to your house which was a short distance, swiping through Pinterest to think of a makeup look to match the dramatic dress and heels you bought. Too late to be a pussy!

You get ready to Megan and Bey, humming to the beat and moving your hips around while applying lipliner. You finally are done and wait for him, music still playing while you respond to emails, no rest for the wicked.

The music only getting more explicit the further down you go on your Spotify playlist. Finally, you hear a knock on the door and you open up the door. “Wow.” Gojo says, and nothing else. You look him up and down, god if he wasn’t your bosses bratty man-child you would’ve fucked him already. To be fair you probably look like you are, what with your eyes undressing him and all.

He snaps out of it earlier than you, “like what you see?” He says leeringly. Yes lord, “ugh, no.” You look him over, and nod.

Going over to pause your music and turning off the light, “So,” the man had a permanent smirk on his face, “imma be your freak anytime or place?” Referencing the music playing, you shut it off.

“It’s Megan. Problem?”

He sighed, “nope, ready when you are.”

You roll your eyes and step out, locking the door behind him. He opened the door up for you, ignoring the cautionary butterflies in in your stomach. “Do that often for your girlfriends?”

“Why jealous?”

You tut, an unfamiliar angry or something else started coil in your lower stomach.

He opened the door for you and his car was expensive to say the least. A black Benz that smells like Dior and money. Art deco by Lana was playing at a low volume. He smiled, “impressed?”

Your upper lip quirked a little, “just get on with it.” He drives off and you get there on time. It was beautiful, the lights decorating the ballroom were opulent.

Immediately getting called over by your colleagues to look over a contract that’s being signed tonight. You look up at him somewhat apoplectically, “sorry!”

As you mingled with the crowd, you found yourself talking to a charming man, he tells you that he’s a shareholder. Your conversation flowed effortlessly, and you couldn’t tell if he was flirting with you or you were delusional or horny.

Gojo, the man you had gone to the gala with, couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. He didn’t feel upset at you leaving him to talk shop with your colleagues but something about this was different. He felt sidelined.

He came up with a drink in his hand for you, “So, Eric huh?” He paused to look at you, “him of all people? You could stand to do better.”

You could stand to do better? How dare he, he had no place in your life. The atmosphere between you guys became tense as Gojo struggled to hide his unease.

"What, are you jealous?" You tilts your head and gaze at him with wide innocent eyes as you echoes his words from the car. "Do you wish it had been you?"

Gojo takes a very slow, purposeful inhale through his nose, before mirroring your head tilt with a challenging grin. "At least I could make you come, princess. You think he would even be able to find your little clit? He'd probably last two pumps and then cry into your shoulder about how much he loves you."

“Oh yeah, like you can do better.” you don’t know where this confidence is coming from and you know he’ll do anything to prove a point. You roll your eyes and look out the window, knees facing the door.

“I’ll show you.” He grits, manhandling your thighs to face him, “my house or yours?”

You look up at him through your furrowed brows and whisper, “this is a bad idea.”

“Did I ask if it was a bad idea or whose house I’m fucking you at?”

You roll your eyes. “Yours.”

“Roll your eyes again I’ll fuck you so hard they’ll be permanently up there.”

He leads you into his lavish apartment kissing you and whispering promises of what he’ll do you. The familiar coil is back in your lower tummy. He tells you to take off your clothes, biting your lower lip as he mutters sweet nothings about how delicious you’ll look on his cock.

Kissing his way down your neck, you felt his hand fiddling with the zip of your black dress and before you knew it, he was tugging it down your thighs, pulling your black seamless thong down with them as he went. He brings you over to the end of his bed and worked a finger in. Pumping in and out rhythmically, you start lifting your hips to thrust with his movements but he pulls you back down.

You tilted your head back and moaned, clamping your eyes shut. If you opened them, you would face his infuriating smirk.

“Good?” Gojo teased, dragging his finger against your walls as he moved in and out.

You gasp into his mouth, unconsciously raising your leg up to wrap around his waist as he supports you with his arm, your fingernails clawing at his shoulders as you feel yourself reach your high.

“Fuck. Fuck. I’m so close. Don’t—Don’t stop.” You felt dizzy; the pleasure seemingly unreal, but the solid feel of his hair in your hands grounded you.

He shuts you up as you watch him lick your release, not sparing a single drop. Once he licks his fingers dry, his hand pressing you back down onto his bed, but he did not stop.

His voice was ragged, “what do you need from me?”

“Please. I-“

He stopped moving, “use your words darling.”

“I need you,” you plead, “now.”

He pulled her down onto his hard cock until she was filled up. He slammed into you from behind, holding your hips with his large hands hard enough to promise bruising in the morning.

The slightly change in the angle he was entering you made your toes curl in pleasure, and a desperate cry left your lips when he hit a different spot inside of you, making your whole body tremble in complete bliss.

Instead of kissing you again, though, he shoved two large fingers into your mouth. You sucked on them like you would his cock. “Who do you think is better?” He gritted.

“Youyouyouyouyouyou- please, just you. God only you.” Incoherently babbling with tears streaming down your face.

“You know I like hearing you,” Gojo murmured, and you shakily nodded. You rose up again and sank back down, the muscles of his stomach clenching, another moan escaping through your slack lips.

His dick twitched. You could feel the mounting pressure building inside of you. Throwing your hips against his and felt his dick pressing against your cervix.

He bit into your shoulder as he came inside of you, drawing just enough blood to make him moan into your back as his hands swept up your stomach towards your tits. Another circle of his thumb, and your back arches with a deep moan, squeezing him so tight his own climax closely follows.

#kentosbabes #jjk headcanons #jjk smut #jujutsu kaisen #jjk gojo #gojo satoru #gojo x you #satoru gojo #jujutsu gojo #gojo x reader #gojo smut #gojo saturo #gojo x y/n #gojou satoru x reader #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru smut #gojo imagine #jujutsu satoru #satorugojo

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skilevents · 4 months

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Top 7 Places For Corporate Team Outings Near Bangalore

Corporate team outings are an essential investment in team building, collaboration, and employee morale — not merely a way to escape the daily grind. Bangalore, which is tucked away in the centre of Karnataka, has many charming locations that make it the ideal setting for yearly corporate team outings, celebrations and corporate offsites. In this blog, SKIL Events is going to throw some light on the best-of-all locations that offer the perfect blend of leisure, adventure, and peace.

7 Most Eventful Destinations for Corporate Team Outing

1. Nandi Hills

No wonder this place has topped the list of top 7 places for corporate team outings. Ask any Bangalorean where they are heading for a long weekend getaway, chances are high that the answer is Nandi Hills. Located around 60 km from Bangalore, SKIL often suggests Nandi Hills for organizations looking forward to the majestic statue of Lord Nandi, lush greenery, breathtaking views, soothing climate, and sheer rejuvenation. In fact, when you are choosing SKIL Events or the top event management company in India, you will be delighted to find numerous corporate team outing activities being arranged.

2. Ramanagara

Ramnagara is a well-loved place among employees who are thrill enthusiasts. Ramanagara has gained traction as the ‘Land of Gabbar Singh’ as this is where the famous Hindi movie Sholay was shot. If you like nature, you would find this place ecstatic for offering rappelling and trekking. You can either slither down the heady heights of the rocky slopes of the hillocks which are as high as 60 to 70 feet, or try your hands on chimney climbing between two boulders.

3. Lakeside Camping In Kanva

If you are a water buff, the picturesque view of camping at Kanva will enchant you. SKIL Events designs a perfect itinerary for your organization to enjoy the fullest at this happening lakeside camping sight. This is located between Bangalore and Mysore Road, and you will thoroughly relish the thrilling well well-jumping experience. If you are a person who loves thrill, then you can try out kayaking, ziplining, swimming, and more.

4. Mysore

Mysore is a great option if you want a backdrop rich in culture and history. The majesty of the Mysore Palace combined with the city’s rich tradition makes for a memorable backdrop for business team activities. Take part in team-building exercises in the verdant Brindavan Gardens or visit the city’s lively marketplaces to learn about the local way of life.

5. Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta

Bilikal Rangaswamy Betta, near Kanakapura, is a great trekking site for teams that love adventure. The team gets to enjoy breathtaking vistas of the hills and valleys around them during the journey, which is energising. It’s a great option for an adventurous and team-building day.

6. Coorg

Coorg, sometimes referred to as the “Scotland of India,” is a gorgeous location for a corporate team vacation if you’re looking for a somewhat longer retreat. There is a magical environment created by the foggy hills, coffee farms, and tumbling waterfalls. Enjoy the peace and quiet of Coorg while participating in team-building exercises amidst the splendour of nature.

7. Wonderla Amusement Park

Wonderla Amusement Park is a great option for a day of exhilarating rides and team building activities. Wonderla, a theme park outside of Bangalore, provides the ideal combination of heart-pounding rides and team-building exercises. It's a revitalising way for groups to relax and promote friendship in a vibrant setting. You can even choose Wonderla for an exciting annual employee event and create a strong bond among your employees.

Significance of Corporate Team Outing in Strengthening Bonds

These locations provide more than simply a change of scenery in Bangalore’s vibrant business scene. They give team members the chance to get to know one another better, develop trust, and come back to work with a fresh sense of enthusiasm and unity.

Corporate team outings are a strategic investment in teamwork and employee engagement, not just a way to escape the daily grind. Whether the goal of the outing is to promote innovation, improve communication, or just give the team a chance to relax and rejuvenate, picking the ideal location close to Bangalore guarantees that it will accomplish its goals.

Source URL : https://www.skilevents.com/insights/blogs/top-7-places-for-corporate-team-outings-near-bangalore

#annual employee event #corporate team outing #corporate offsites

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 10 months

Text

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 6, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUL 7, 2023

The payroll processing firm ADP said today that private sector jobs jumped by 497,000 in June, far higher than the Dow Jones consensus estimate predicted. The big gains were in leisure and hospitality, which added 232,000 new hires; construction with 97,000; and trade, transportation and utilities with 90,000. Annual pay rose at a rate of 6.4%. Most of the jobs came from companies with fewer than 50 employees.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is a way to measure the stock market by aggregating certain stocks, dropped 372 points as the strong labor market made traders afraid that the Fed would raise interest rates again to cool the economy. Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive, slowing investment.

Today, as the Washington Post’s climate reporter Scott Dance warned that the sudden surge of broken heat records around the globe is raising alarm among scientists, Bloomberg’s Cailley LaPara reported that the incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act for emerging technologies to address climate change have long-term as well as short-term benefits.

Dance noted that temperatures in the North Atlantic are already close to their typical annual peak although we are early in the season, sea ice levels around Antarctica are terribly low, and Monday was the Earth’s hottest day in at least 125,000 years and Tuesday was hotter. LaPara noted that while much attention has been paid to the short-term solar, EV, and wind industries in the U.S., emerging technologies for industries that can’t be electrified—technologies like sustainable aviation fuel, clean hydrogen, and direct air capture, which pulls carbon dioxide out of the air—offer huge potential to reduce emissions by 2030.

This news was the backdrop today as President Biden was in South Carolina to talk about Bidenomics. After touting the huge investments of both public and private capital that are bringing new businesses and repaired infrastructure to that state, Biden noted that analysts have said that the new laws Democrats have passed will do more for Republican-dominated states than for Democratic ones. “Well, that’s okay with me,” Biden said, “because we’re all Americans. Because my view is: Wherever the need is most, that’s the place we should be helping. And that’s what we’re doing. Because the way I look at it, the progress we’re making is good for all Americans, all of America.”

On Air Force One on the way to the event, deputy press secretary Andrew Bates began his remarks to the press: “President Biden promised that he would be a president for all Americans, regardless of where they live and regardless of whether they voted for him or not. He also promised to rebuild the middle class. The fact that Bidenomics has now galvanized over $500 billion in job-creating private sector investment is the newest testament to how seriously he takes fulfilling those promises.”

Bates listed all the economic accomplishments of the administration and then added: “the most powerful endorsement of Bidenomics is this: Every signature economic law this President has signed, congressional Republicans who voted “no” and attacked it on Fox News then went home to their district and hailed its benefits.” He noted that “Senator Lindsey Graham called the Inflation Reduction Act ‘a nightmare for South Carolina,’” then, “[j]ust two months later, he called BMW’s electric vehicles announcement ‘one of the most consequential announcements in the history of the state of South Carolina.’” “Representative Joe Wilson blasted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law but later announced, ‘I welcome Scout Motors’ plans to invest $2 billion and create up to 4,000 jobs in South Carolina.’ Nancy Mace called Bidenomics legislation a…‘disaster,’ then welcomed a RAISE grant to Charleston.”

“[W]hat could speak to the effectiveness of Bidenomics more than these conversions?” Bates asked.

While Biden is trying to sell Americans on an economic vision for the future, the Republican leadership is doubling down on dislike of President Biden and the Democrats. Early on the morning of July 2, Trump, who remains the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, shared a meme of President Biden that included a flag reading: “F*CK BIDEN AND F*CK YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM!” The next morning, in all caps, he railed against what he called “massive prosecutorial conduct” and “the weaponization of law enforcement,” asking: “Do the people of this once great nation even have a choice but to protest the potential doom of the United States of America??? 2024!!!”

Prosecutors have told U.S. district judge Aileen Cannon that they want to begin Trump’s trial on 37 federal charges for keeping and hiding classified national security documents, and as his legal trouble heats up, Trump appears to be calling for violence against Democrats. On June 29 he posted what he claimed was the address of former president Barack Obama, inspiring a man who had been at the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to repost the address and to warn, “We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell,…Obama’s [sic].” Taylor Tarranto then headed there with firearms and ammunition, as well as a machete, in his van. Secret Service agents arrested him.

Indeed, those crossing the law for the former president are not faring well. More than 1,000 people have been arrested for their participation in the events of January 6, and those higher up the ladder are starting to feel the heat as well. Trump lawyer Lin Wood, who pushed Trump’s 2020 election lies, was permitted to “retire” his law license on Tuesday rather than be disbarred. Trump lawyer John Eastman is facing disbarment in California for trying to overturn the 2020 election with his “fake elector” scheme, a ploy whose legitimacy the Supreme Court rejected last week. And today, Trump aide Walt Nauta pleaded not guilty to federal charges of withholding documents and conspiring to obstruct justice for allegedly helping Trump hide the classified documents he had at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump Republicans—MAGA Republicans—are cementing their identity by fanning fears based on cultural issues, but it is becoming clear those are no longer as powerful as they used to be as the reality of Republican extremism becomes clear.

Yesterday the man who raped and impregnated a then-9-year-old Ohio girl was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. Last year, after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion, President Biden used her case to argue for the need for abortion access. Republican lawmakers, who had criminalized all abortions after 6 weeks, before most people know they’re pregnant, publicly doubted that the case was real (Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told the Fox News Channel there was “not a damn scintilla of evidence” to support the story). Unable to receive an abortion in Ohio, the girl, who had since turned 10, had to travel to Indiana, where Dr. Caitlin Bernard performed the procedure.

Republican Indiana attorney general Todd Rokita complained—inaccurately—that Bernard had not reported child abuse and that she had violated privacy laws by talking to a reporter, although she did not identify the patient and her employer said she acted properly. Bernard was nonetheless reprimanded for her handling of privacy issues and fined by the Indiana licensing board. Her employer disagreed.

As Republican-dominated states have dramatically restricted abortion, they have fueled such a backlash that party members are either trying to avoid talking about it or are now replacing the phrase “national ban” with “national consensus” or “national standard,” although as feminist writer Jessica Valenti, who studies this language, notes, they still mean strict antiabortion measures. In the House, some newly-elected and swing-district Republicans have blocked abortion measures from coming to a vote out of concern they will lose their seats in 2024.

But it is not at all clear the issue will go away. Yesterday, those committed to protecting abortion rights in Ohio turned in 70% more signatures than they needed to get a measure amending the constitution to protect that access on the ballot this November. In August, though, antiabortion forces will use a special election to try to change the threshold for constitutional amendments, requiring 60% of voters rather than a majority.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Bidenomics #Joe Biden #economy #jobs #middle class #justice #Letters From an American #Heather Cox Richardson #infrastructure #climate change

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silkjade · 2 years

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Hi can I get Genshin men as +1 to worker (*cough*) company party as they aren’t dating or just starting to date s/o? HCs like to be wedding date ones?

genshin men at a work party

Featuring— Diluc, Childe, Zhongli, Kazuha, Kaeya

⤀ established relationships, friends to lovers, pining, enemies to lovers ⤀ gn! reader, modern au, mentions of alcohol use, slight angst in zhongli's, suggestive but still sfw

a/n— this was fun to write lol also i’m gonna be limiting future requests to max 5 characters 🙇🏻‍♀️

DILUC

there is no way in hell you’re telling your coworkers that you’re dating the ceo of your company

that’s basically asking to be the most hated person in the office; you’ve worked way too hard for anyone to accredit your achievements as just sleeping with your boss

besides, you two have only just made it official. it's still way too soon to make your relationship public, especially with such a high profile figure

diluc is ceo of avoiding parties so everyone is surprised when it’s announced that the big launch event is going to be held at the ragnvindr estate

oh how he hates parties; you convinced him it’d be fun plus, it’s normal for a boss to be chatting with an employee at a social event right? it could give you guys a chance to soft soft launch your relationship. instead, he’s being pulled into every conversation, mingling with everyone except you

ah but how could you forget that everyone would want to jump at the chance to introduce themselves to the big boss himself

the night is filled with quick, stolen glances and it really doesn’t help that the longest he’s held your hand was the few seconds where you both reached for the bowl of grape juice

he quietly slips away and shoots you text

“ haven’t seen you all night, i’m in my study if you’d like to join me? : ) ”

of course you go. it’s a big party...you’d hardly be missed

as soon as you’re close enough, diluc pulls you into his lap and rests his head in the crook of your neck. please pepper him with kisses and play with his hair— his social battery is drained

you’re interrupted by a bang, followed by an aggressive twist on the knob before finally hearing someone hurl outside the study. it’s a good thing you locked the door

CHILDE

the firm you work at is throwing its annual holiday party and who better to bring as your fake date

great arm candy and he’s confident enough for the theatrics required to get your annoying coworker off your back

seriously your coworker isn’t taking any hints and they definitely don’t believe you when you say you have a boyfriend (which to be fair was a lie so…)

childe doesn’t do anything half-assed so he’s going full out as your ‘boyfriend.’ go big or go home!!

you arrive together, with his arm is around your waist. your coworker comes up to talk to you and he’s like

“who’s this babe?” with the most passive aggressive smile because he knows full well who that is. he pulls you closer; you feel his grip on your waist tighten

his hand is on your thigh every time you two sit down and he does this while making direct eye contact with your coworker

dangles a mistletoe above the two of you to steal a kiss. it’s not just a show anymore, it’s a whole production. his excuse? you want it to be believable right?

he’s pretty well liked among the rest of your coworkers; very amiable guy. completely ignores the fake backstory you guys prepped though and is spinning his own tale of how you two met (he definitely went the meet cute route)

which leaves everyone confused because you’ve been telling them something entirely different the few weeks prior

you drag him into the break room ready to scold him for going off script but your annoying coworker beats you to it and calls bullshit on your relationship. no matter how much he wants to, childe’s not going to physically fight him because the last thing he’d want to do is get you in trouble at your job

“oh yeah? would a fake boyfriend do this?” and now he’s full on making out with you in your office’s break room, which has floor-length glass windows btw

i mean yes childe’s your friend, but you also have an ongoing flirtation, but it also never leads anywhere? you two have a long talk that night

come monday morning you actually have a real boyfriend now but you also get a warning from HR. you win some, you lose some

ZHONGLI

zhongli’s your average salaryman with above average looks and an above average skillset so needless to say, he’s pretty popular in the office, especially with his single coworkers

the only thing is, he’s so painfully unaware of their flirtations and advances that they’re beginning to think he’s doing it on purpose (he is). nevertheless, they persist

which is how you end up going to his office party as his plus one and… who the hell is this bitch pulling you aside and introducing herself as his ‘work wife’

she says she wasn’t aware zhongli had an s/o; granted, your relationship was pretty new and zhongli is private in regards to his personal life so, fine, you’ll let it slide. but then she has the audacity to say you can feel free to ask her if you need any advice in regards to your own boyfriend because

“hehe i’m his work wife after all, not work girlfriend”

zhongli comes back from the bathroom and oh my god he can feel the animosity from across the room. he leads you away to somewhere private the two of you can talk

honestly you’re not sure how to feel. angry, yes. upset, definitely. because if she can be so bold as to say these things to your face, what is she doing everyday in the office when you aren’t there

he pulls you into a tight hug before your thoughts can get any more intrusive

“darling i’m so sorry for whatever she said. i’ve warned her of her behavior before but it seems i’ll have to visit HR again”

he doesn't leave your side for the rest of the night

KAZUHA

the interns; you’re both out of college hoping to land a permanent position in this company

of course you aren't the only two interns in the office but you are the duo ™. whether it's the way you cover each other’s work so well, or the way you throw paper balls at each other on slow days— you just fall so naturally in sync

the whole office ships you two

the company’s celebrating a huge merger so they’re throwing a party and since you’re both single…you guys decide to go together (his idea, he insisted!)

wow this apple cider is so good. oops it seems both of you missed the memo that it’s hard apple cider, and when you realize…well, you’re already buzzed

he’s not drunk, but kazuha is a lot more loose-lipped when under the influence of alcohol; he’s entertaining the other interns and you drag him away before he says something embarrassing about either of you (because god, he knows and remembers everything about you)

you take him up to the roof of your office building; the cool night air feels good against the heat of your skin. you’re leaning over the ledge watching the city lights but you feel his gaze on you

“you’re really pretty tonight, y/n. well you always are but tonight….”

you’ve never been in such an intimate setting together before and something about tonight makes him want to abandon his 14-step plan to win your heart

you guys leave the party early and the intern gc is blowing up because someone spotted you two getting in the same cab

KAEYA

okay so what if you’re the only one in your branch who showed up to the company party without a plus one

well there’s kaeya too but he’s annoying so you don’t count him. to further prove your point, he doesn’t really care anyway; loves the bachelor life he says

so why is he, your work rival, standing in front of you right now, offering to be your date for the night? is he making fun if you? if this is his idea of a joke it’s not funny! admittedly some of his jokes are, but you’d never tell him that

“I don’t know y/n, maybe because I actually like you?” there’s more truth to his words than you realize

for the sake of your single person’s ego, you accept his proposal…but you warn him that it doesn’t change anything about your current relationship

“You realize our little rivalry is completely one-sided?” he says as he hands you a flute of champagne

…..

“because there really isn’t any competition on my end”

omg you want to strangle him. he laughs at the way your eye twitches and you down the entirety of your champagne. it’s too late to back out now; maybe if you’re drunk enough you can get through the night

he matches you drink for drink and at the height of the party, you forget that you hate him because he’s..actually kind of cool and fun?

the way he beats your quarterly sales by just a little, scores just a little higher on performance reviews, receives a promotion just a few months before you…all out the window

you guys are making fun of your boss and gossiping about coworkers and giggling together?? who are you two and what have you done to kaeya and y/n

monday morning back at the office and everyone knows you and kaeya drunkenly hooked up because the sexual tension is gone but you also find out there’s been an office betting pool??

#— 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓙. ༯ #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact fluff #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact x you #genshin impact scenarios #genshin hcs #diluc x reader #childe x reader #zhongli x reader #kazuha x reader #kaeya x reader #x reader #reader insert #genshin modern au

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recklessfiction · 11 months

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What to Do when you Travel to the City

There's a great nightlife. Long stretches of city blocks radiating blinding neon, frenzied beats thrumming up from the asphalt, humming along to the violent slaughter taking place around you. Let your cheek and lips be painted red by another, fall into feverish affections, rhapsodize.

Prior to 5:30 AM weekdays, all Skytrains will be making scheduled detours into the throat of the God of Deep Anguish. Customers traveling between West Broadway Station and 5th should plan for at least 20 minutes of extra travel time and prepare for some crowding on trains and platforms.

The Gardens of Excess will be having their annual Summer Flower Festival this July. Please remember to keep emotionally malleable individuals out of reach of the fruit trees. Employees of The Gardens will not be held responsible for any marriage or germination that may occur between guests and the Unrelenting Abundances.

The beaches that surround the City are great to visit with the entire family. The sand burns the soles of your feet and pierces your skin when kicked up by the wind. The only escape is the ocean and it has been reaching for you all the while. You did not notice the rising tide but now it has reached well past your waist and it pulls. You feel the ground disappear beneath your feet and then...nothing but the sea. You fight to keep your head above the water but it tugs at your ankles, impatient and eager to embrace you in full, to show you its depths. This is a struggle you will not win.

The Night Market is open once again! From April to November come by and sample strange, fermented corruptions, experience Death In Perpetuity, and stock up on gifts for Christmas like featureless iron masks, the gift of prophecy, or a seat on the throne of a kingdom in dreams. Whatever your wishes are, the Night Market is a great place to strike an unpleasant bargain, win or lose yourself in hand to hand combat, or just people watch.

Be sure to visit the dungeons while you're here. Our Wizards have made sure that every moment you spend within these vile halls is both foul and incredibly distressing. You will encounter incredible creatures not from this plane of existence and many have even carved out their own eyes when faced with the horrors. Hundreds enter the gates every year and none have ever emerged but you could be the first!

As host to many cosmically traumatic events such as the divine nascence of The Stairs and the cataclysmic joining of Man To His Beloved and Wretched, the City boasts a number of unique and exciting tourist destinations. Witness first hand the crater left in the wake of Her Movement or the forest that blossomed forth at the climax of the Great Pestilence. Keep up to date on weather reports and the movement of the beings by downloading our city's informational app or visiting our website.

#urban gothic #horror #city gothic #unreality #tourism #what to do #my writing

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theostrophywife · 1 year

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starfall.

masterlist (azriel x reader) author's note: this modern day au! was so fun to write. the angst was definitely a little bit of a challenge and tackling on the complexity of eris was great. let me know what you guys think. summary: every year, the velaris corporation hosts the starfall gala. while attending as eris vanserra's plus one, you unexpectedly run into your ex-boyfriend azriel.

The dress you were wearing cost more than the average person’s monthly salary.

It was a silky, elegant cobalt little number with a plunging neckline that hugged your curves in all the right places and drew the attention of every male in the room, which is precisely why your boyfriend picked it out for you to wear tonight.

Not to be outdone, Eris Vanserra always made it a point to be the smartest, richest, and most influential man in the room. It usually wasn’t hard given the fact that he was primed to inherit his father's multimillion dollar business. A man like that needed to have the proper arm candy to show off at the Starfall Gala.

The gala was an annual charity event coordinated by the Velaris Corporation, spearheaded by the one and only Rhysand Night. The purpose of the event was to raise money for stem programs in underprivileged schools, but you wouldn’t know it from all the pompous peacocking happening around you. The worst of them being your boyfriend.

Eris returned from the bar, handing you a glass of champagne as he quickly assessed the room, no doubt hoping to catch a glimpse of your host. As you tipped the lip of the glass into your mouth, you observed your boyfriend with casual boredom. When he asked you to come with him, you’d almost declined knowing that he’d likely spend the entirety of the night griping over Rhys. It always bothered Eris that Velaris Corp had seemingly emerged out of nowhere, surpassing all the other major energy companies in profit and innovation, second only to Vanserra Inc.

You’ve always thought that naming the company after the family’s surname was a bit tacky, but you weren’t about to admit that to Eris or his power hungry father, Beron. The Vanserra males were ruthless, cunning, and so unlike anyone you’ve ever dated before. Perhaps that’s why you agreed to be in this strategic relationship with Eris in the first place. The last one had completely and utterly torn you apart and choosing someone you could keep at arm’s length seemed like the safest choice.

It would have made you feel like a terrible person if Eris wasn’t also benefiting from this mutual arrangement. In you, he found himself an equal partner, a budding nuclear engineer that had over half a dozen companies fighting over her. At first, your relationship had been strictly professional. Tasked by Beron to poach you from your former job, Eris wined and dined you in an effort to convince you that Vanserra Inc. was the right place to lay down your roots. Not wanting to be tied down, you promptly told him that you were perfectly content to sticking with contractual work. Though the salary he offered was enticing, the thought of working under his father was an immediate nonstarter.

You heard the rumors of Beron’s regular outbursts in the office and it wasn’t a secret that he underpaid his employees. You didn’t want to get into bed with a man like that, though you didn’t resist rolling around between the sheets with his son. Eris might be an arrogant bastard, but he more than lived up to his reputation when it came to sex.

Still, you couldn’t say he was the best you’ve ever had. That honor belongs to Azriel and Azriel alone.

No one else was able to make you feel pleasure like Azriel could, but no one else had the power to shatter your heart into pieces either. Shaking away the ghost of your ex-boyfriend, you turned your attention back to the male before you.

“Are you almost ready to leave?” you ask, twirling the flute of amber liquid between your fingers.

The champagne fizzled within the glass, its transparent surface catching the fiery strands of perfectly coiffed hair upon your boyfriend’s shoulders. You examine the male, taking in the custom tailored suit, the handsome, pouty face, and the warm amber eyes that seemed to be looking anywhere but you.

“Just a second, sweetheart. You know I’m expected to make my rounds tonight. Father would kill me if I didn’t at least mingle with our gracious host,” the bite of sarcasm upon the mention of Rhysand made you sigh, but you didn’t bother to argue. You only had to endure a few more minutes of this before you can go home, fuck Eris senseless, and go to sleep in your comfortable bed.

The lack of excitement wasn’t lost on you as Eris placed a kiss upon your cheek. Physically speaking you were undoubtedly attracted to the male, but your heart tugged for golden brown skin, hair as dark as night, and hazel eyes that made every fiber within you come alive. The sexual chemistry between you and Eris was really the only thing holding this companionship together. There was no passion, no intimacy, just a warm body to come home to at the end of a long day.

You weren’t complaining. Love was highly overrated anyways.

Eris scampered off in search of Rhysand and you sat back, leaning against the expensive marble counter adorning the open bar tucked into the corner of the grand ballroom. Faces and names blurred together, melding into a hazy blur as the champagne rushes to your head. In hindsight, you probably should’ve eaten something in lieu of drinking on an empty stomach.

“You know, you could put Eris out of his misery and tell him that we’ve known each other since we were in diapers.” A familiar voice says beside you. Rhysand Night, up and coming energy mogul and also your childhood best friend, greeted you with a smile.

As always, the male was impeccably dressed, turning the head of nearly every female in the room. He smirks, sliding a hand into the pockets of his expensive trousers while leaning against the bar.

You snorted. “And surrender all the glorious blackmail material I have on you? Not a chance in hell, Rhys.”

“Glad to see you could make it tonight,” he says, violet eyes scanning over you. “Though I’m not as thrilled by your escort.”

The roll of your eyes was almost a reflex. “Play nice or else I’ll tell him about the time I had to clean up hot cheeto colored vomit off of you during freshman year.”

He gasped dramatically. “You swore to secrecy. Besides, that’s precisely why I avoid mixing darks and lights now.”

“You had half a bottle of peach wine, Rhys and I never did receive compensation for the stain you left on my dorm room carpet.”

Rhys pulls you in for a hug, annoyingly mussing up the very expensive blowout you’d treated yourself to that morning. “I’ve missed you, my friend. So has Feyre. I’d be remiss if I didn’t pass along my darling wife’s message.”

“She and I had lunch just last week.”

“Yes, but you never come around the house anymore.”

Sighing, you busied yourself by rummaging through your clutch in search of your signature lipstick. “I’ve been busy. You know how it is.”

“I do, but Nyx is not as understanding. He’s been asking for his godmother.”

Spreading the mauve gloss over your mouth, you let out an indignant noise. “That’s absolutely evil, Rhys. Using my adorable little godson as leverage.”

“As long as it's working, I’ll be able to sleep soundly at night. I mean it, though. The rest of our friends have been asking where you’ve been.”

“I’ve been…around. Work has been hectic as all hell.” It was a lame excuse and you both knew it.

Rhys glanced at you sideways, weighing whatever it was he was going to say next. “Are you sure you’re not just avoiding my brother?” You fell silent, looking towards the ceiling.

That was the complicated thing about dating within your group of friends. Breakups were always a landmine of tension and awkwardness. To avoid that, you’d taken yourself entirely out of the equation. You still met up with your friends regularly, but never in a group setting and certainly not at Feyre and Rhysand’s house which served as a constant reminder of your ruined relationship.

Your friend seems to follow you train of thought. “If that’s the case, you should know that he hasn’t been around as much either. Not since the breakup.”

The shaky breath you released angered you. It had been nearly a year since you and Azriel broke up and you still couldn’t hear his name without feeling like you were drowning.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you say with a sigh.

“I know it was rough and I understand why you might need to distance yourself, but you should see him. He’s been working through things.”

“It’s none of my business, Rhys.”

The pressure in your chest was building and you had to blink away the prickling sensation behind your eyes. You wouldn’t let yourself cry tonight. You’ve already wasted so many tears on Azriel.

Thankfully, Rhys didn’t press further. “New topic,” he announced in a cheerier voice. “Have you given any more thought about my offer or have you decided to sell your soul to the bloodthirsty foxes at Van Inc?

“They’re not all bad,” you offer in an entirely unconvincing tone.

“Please, Beron is basically Satan Incarnate and Satan Junior seems all too giddy to honor his father’s legacy. The only decent one out of that whole family is Lucien and even he left the company to branch out on his own.”

Possessing neither the energy nor rebuttal, you took another swig of your drink. “I’m not saying no, but don’t you think that working together would complicate things?”

“More than they already are now?” he asked, not unkindly. Rhys picked at an imaginary piece of lint at the lapel of his jacket. “Look, you’re brilliant in your field and my company is always looking for the best and brightest. If you work for me, I’m offering you free reign over projects and unrestricted access to the lab that I know you’ve been eyeing since college.”

The offer was ridiculously generous. Given the friendship between you and Rhys, you already knew that you’d work well together. He trusted the expertise of his engineers and wasn’t one to micromanage. As tempting as it was, there was still the matter of your ex boyfriend. Azriel was Velaris Corp’s chief operating officer and while your position wouldn’t directly fall under his management, it would still open up opportunities for awkward run-ins.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” Rhys adds. “Just think about it and don’t tell your boyfriend about the cheeto incident or the offer.”

You smirked. “We don’t do much talking anyways.”

The supposed bad boy of energy blanched, sticking his tongue out as though you’d been transported back to your kindergarten days. “My poor, virginal ears. Keep the details of your sex life far, far away from me.”

“If you were wondering if the carpets match the drapes, they totally do.”

Rhys was full on gagging. The other guests glanced his way, but he covered it with a cough. You could practically hear whatever sarcastic retort he had in his arsenal until his violet eyes widened, straightening at the sight of whoever was behind you.

“Speak of the devil,” he muttered under his breath.

From the corner of your eye, you glimpsed a flash of red. Relief washed over you for a split second at the sight of your boyfriend. Finally, Eris and Rhys could convene with their annual pissing contest so you could go home.

But Eris wasn’t the only one standing there. Beside the redheaded male, overshadowing the entire room by the gravity of his presence alone, Azriel smiled at you.

The sight knocked the very air out of your lungs. Dressed in a fitted onyx suit, the tall, muscular form of your ex-boyfriend came closer and closer towards you. Even in your tallest heels, Azriel towered a good foot over you. He brushed the dark strands of hair covering his face, long enough to graze those sharp cheekbones of his, curling against his golden brown skin at a length that you once told him was your favorite. Stubble covered his jaw and the golden flecks in his hazel eyes shimmered under the dim lighting.

A year. An entire year had gone by since you last saw him, but still the traitorous beating of your heart seemed to call out for him.

“There you are, sweetheart.” Eris says, casually looping an arm through your waist. “And it looks like you found the man of the hour.”

You forced a smile as Rhys and Azriel exchanged glances. The former simply nods at your boyfriend in acknowledgment. “Always a pleasure, Eris.”

“You’re quite hard to find,” Eris responds with a raised brow. “Luckily, your brother was very helpful. Thank you again…” he glances to his left, obviously already having forgotten Azriel’s name.

“Azriel.” The male responds in a cold, dark tone.

The intensity of his gaze burned your skin like a brand. Your eyes flickered to his for a moment, drawn there by some invisible force, before you turned towards Eris. He seemed utterly oblivious to the tension clouding the room.

To your surprise, your boyfriend took Azriel’s scarred hand in his and shook it. “Well, thank you Azriel. This damned ballroom is like a maze.”

Azriel says nothing as your eyes drop down to the sapphire cufflinks peeking out from his wrist, the very same pair that you’d gifted him during your one year anniversary. He always said they brought him good luck, but you doubted he’d think that after tonight.

Eris watched your crestfallen face. Glanced between you and Azriel. Then to Rhys, whose shocked expression raised alarm in Eris.

“Do you two know each other?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

A glimpse of hurt flashed through Azriel’s eyes before he collected himself. “We know of each other. I’d be a terrible chief of operations if I failed to recognize the most talented nuclear engineer in the field.”

The flush that crept up your cheeks was instantaneous, followed only by a shot of anger. Azriel didn’t get to have this effect on you anymore.

“I’m going to the ladies room to freshen up. Call me when you and Rhysand are finished talking shop.”

You didn’t give anyone a chance to respond before stalking off. The slow reverb of your boyfriend’s laughter as he discussed business with Rhysand rang in your ears, but you pushed through the crowd until it faded into white noise.

As you scanned your surroundings, you realized that Eris was right. This place was a maze. You walked through the historic ballroom, ducking through ornate archways and towering pillars in search of the bathroom.

A dim hallway that looked like something out of a Victorian horror story popped up to your left and against better judgment of possible orphan ghosts hiding in the night, you took the detour. In all honesty, you would’ve walked into traffic if it meant escaping the mess you’d left behind.

It wasn’t long before you came to regret the decision as a door to your right creaked open and a strong arm pulled you into a dark room. You immediately swung, but your fist was caught by someone’s open palm.

The sound of a switch being flipped on flickered to your right. Light flooded the room and you blinked rapidly, adjusting to the change.

Mere inches away from you, Azriel’s hands intertwined in yours before he hesitantly let go.

He swayed, raising his hands in a nonthreatening pose. “It’s just me.”

You pressed a hand to your heart. “Have you lost your damn mind? I almost clocked you in the jaw.”

Azriel smiled, sheepish. “Glad to see that the boxing lessons paid off.”

You crossed your arms, still reeling from the adrenaline rush. “That’s not funny. You scared me half to death.”

“I’m sorry,” he says earnestly. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

“And you thought pulling me into a dark, possibly haunted room was the best way to go about it?”

He winced, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry…I just. Sorry.”

“You said that already.”

“Not nearly enough,” Azriel says softly.

The gentle tone of his voice made you ease up. “What did you want to talk about?”

He folded his hands behind his back, a nervous habit that he developed after burning them. The little remnants of your intimate knowledge of the male before you made your entire being feel heavy. The burden of feeling so disconnected from someone who was right in front of you was almost too much to bear.

“I wanted to talk about us.”

The statement tore through your skin and into your chest, clutching your heart with its razor sharp claws. “There is no us, Azriel,” you say with a trembling voice. “Not anymore.”

“I know,” he says, pain and hurt written all over his face. “There isn’t a single day that goes by that I don’t regret not chasing after you.”

You clenched your fists, manicured fingers embedding crescent shapes into your skin. If you closed your eyes, you could still remember that fateful night. Things had been rocky with Azriel for weeks, miscommunication and late nights at the office weighing down on your relationship. It didn’t help that Azriel wasn’t the most forthcoming with his feelings. You tried to be understanding, to fight through the rough patch, but attempting to decipher through someone’s feelings when they refused to feel it themselves finally broke something in you.

Leaving Azriel was the hardest thing you’ve ever done. You cried for weeks, half of you expecting him to turn up at your door while the other half loathed herself for even entertaining the thought. You loved him, but he needed to realize that he was worthy of that love too.

“It’s too late, Azriel. I’m with someone else now.”

Someone safe. Someone who wouldn’t break your heart.

“I understand. I just wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I didn’t tell you how sorry I am. When you left, I was so angry, but the longer time went on, the more I realized why you did what you did.”

You looked up at him and you felt your heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

“It wasn’t fair of me to push you away when all you ever did was show me how much you loved me. I think I never fully believed that I deserved you and that was part of the problem.”

Tears pricked the back of your eyes. You could tell how hard it was for him to say these things to you, as though dredging up the remnants of your relationship tore at him too. His eyes were soft, his expression solemn.

“The point is, I’ve been working through things. I…went to therapy. More than once. Every week, actually.”

The revelation released a floodgate of tears. A year ago, you never would have thought that Azriel would be open to talking about his feelings with a complete stranger. You felt a swell of pride for him.

“That’s great, Az.”

A slow smile spread through his beautiful face. “I’m not telling you any of this because I want you back. I do want you back, but even if I never get another chance with you again, I want you to know that you’re one of the reasons why I even had the courage to do any of this. You always believed in me. I should’ve believed in us.”

A single tear fell down your cheek. Azriel wiped it away with his thumb. “I appreciate you telling me all of this and I’m glad you're seeing someone, but it’s been a year. A lot has changed.”

The lump in your throat climbed higher and higher as Azriel scanned your face. He stepped closer and the familiar scent of his expensive cologne, night chilled mist with a hint of cedar, was so him that you could barely breathe. He titled your chin up, reading your features like an open book.

“I just need to know one thing,” he says softly. “Do you love him?”

You inhaled sharply, avoiding his gaze. “It’s not that simple.”

“Of course it is. Loving you has always been a simple choice. There might have been bumps along the way, challenges to face, but I never once questioned how I felt about you.”

A beat of silence passed as his words washed over you. You knew he was telling the truth. The only thing in question was whether or not you were ready to hear it.

A loud ring sliced through the tension and a wave of relief washed over you. Retrieving your phone from your pocket, you blanched as your boyfriend’s name flashed through the screen. Azriel glances down and something unreadable flashed through his face.

“Call me when you figure out your answer,” Azriel says. He holds the door open and walks out into the hallway. Hazel struck your heart like a bolt of lightning. “I’ll be waiting when you do.”

With a heavy smile, you reached up to the tips of your toes and kissed him on the cheek. The mark of your lipstick stained his golden brown skin as his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.

“Good night, Azriel.”

The limousine had not moved in over twenty minutes. Outside, the city was alive with sights and sounds, people milling about through the streets despite the fact that it was creeping closer and closer to midnight while a line of cars sat idle in bumper to bumper traffic.

“What could possibly be the hold up?” Eris asked impatiently, craning his neck toward the window to no avail.

You shrugged, unable to find a single kernel of concern for whatever was the cause of this delay. “I’m sure everyone’s just headed out of downtown from Starfall.”

At your words, your gaze trailed towards the Velaris building. It stood out even in a city full of skyscrapers because of the all black exterior, which glimmered with an iridescent glow. Tiny flecks of lights surrounded the building, giving it the appearance of a starry night sky.

“Rhysand has truly outdone himself, hasn’t he?” Eris declares with a sneer.

A dull ache formed in the base of your skull. “Can we not talk about Rhys tonight?”

Your boyfriend gives you a once over, amber eyes flickering over your tired expression. “What’s gotten into you, sweetheart? You usually love these events.”

In truth, you hated every party, ball, and gala that you’d been forced to smile and sit through. The crowd made you feel overstimulated and empty conversations drained what little social battery you had. Eris would’ve known that if he’d bothered to get to know you at all, but to be fair, you made no efforts to do the same for him either.

This arrangement was supposed to be safe. You only really needed to know each other on a surface level for this to work. This relationship was exactly what you wanted, right?

After seeing Azriel again, you weren’t so sure.

“Do you even like me, Eris?”

Eris looked up from the lit screen of his phone, raising a neat brow in your direction. “What a silly question. Of course I like you.”

“We don’t even really know each other,” you prompt, gazing at the skyline beyond.

“Does this have anything to do with Rhysand’s brother?” Eris gave you a knowing look. You blanched, avoiding his gaze. Was it that obvious?

Your boyfriend chuckled. “It’s alright, I’m not mad. We both knew what we were getting into when we agreed to be in this relationship.”

“Are you happy? With our…arrangement?”

He set his phone down, turning over to face you. “I am content. In business, that’s all one could really hope for. Happiness is a luxury most cannot afford. Even the richest men find themselves lacking in that department.”

You were surprised by his answer. If a man who had the entire world at his fingertips couldn’t afford happiness, who could?

“What about love?”

His amber eyes softened as he glanced out the window. “I haven’t had the best experience with it. Sometimes I think the Vanserras are fated to have doomed relationships.”

From what you were able to glean in your time together, you knew his parents didn’t have the best relationship. Even his younger brother Lucien was rumored to have left the company due to the fallout of courting a woman that Beron didn’t approve of.

“Is that why you close yourself off to it?”

Eris smiled, the expression on his face knowing. “I’d imagine that I avoid love for the same reasons that you do, dear. It’s complicated and messy. People get hurt.”

You nod. “It is much safer to hide behind a wall than let them in, isn’t it?”

The male gave you a peculiar look. “Haven’t you heard, sweetheart? Safety is highly overrated.” He offered you a smile. “This might be out of place for me to say, but I have enjoyed our time together and I consider you a friend. Tonight, I saw you look at Azriel in a way that I’ve never seen you look at me.”

The sense of betrayal twisted in your gut, but Eris only shrugged. “I’m not bothered by it. Like I said, we both knew what we were getting into when we started this.” He paused, testing the waters. “But, if you have a chance to find love—real love, you should take it. Don’t let the fear of getting hurt stop you from trying again. After all, what is love if not a high stakes game of risk and reward? It just depends on how much of yourself you’re willing to gamble.”

You looked at Eris then—really looked at him. Despite the façade he showed the rest of the world, there was a kind soul hidden beneath his expensive Tom Ford suit.

“You’re a good man, Eris. You shouldn’t let your father or anyone else convince you that kindness is weak.”

Eris smiled. “Perhaps one day we’ll both be brave enough to take each other’s advice.”

You surveyed the stalled cars, the blurred faces of the people passing through the streets, the monotonous hustle and bustle of the busy city you love and decided that you were done living on autopilot. For over a year, you’ve been content to let life pass you by, telling yourself over and over again that you just had to survive, because that’s what life without Azriel was like. It was barely surviving.

It took twelve months to build the wall around your heart and Azriel destroyed it in one night. That’s what true love feels like. Real, raw, and vulnerable. The scariest feeling in the whole world, but worth every second.

“I don’t think I want to wait,” you whispered softly.

Eris took your hand in his, squeezing in reassurance. “Then don’t. Go and be with the one you truly love.”

You knew then what you had to do. Leaning over, you placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you, Eris.”

After you and Eris parted ways, he instructed his driver to take you safely to wherever you wanted to go.

So here you were, standing outside the dimly lit street of your old neighborhood in a ridiculously expensive ball gown while the soft rain drizzled all around you.

The once familiar door cast shadows underneath your feet as you attempted to muster up the courage to knock. From the outside, the home you formerly shared with Azriel appeared exactly the same as it did on the night you left.

You fished around the crevices of your clutch and retrieved your phone. Calling Azriel instead of just knocking on the door was a definite cop out, but it was better than nothing.

Like you knew he would, Azriel picked up on the first ring. He paused, letting the silence stretch out until you were ready to speak.

“You were right,” you finally say. “I don’t love Eris.”

There wasn’t a hint of surprise or judgement from the other line. Instead, that soft soothing voice simply asked, “Where are you right now?”

“Outside.”

The door opened moments later, revealing a rare startled looking Azriel holding a phone to his ear. His tie was undone and his shirt was halfway undone as though you’d caught him in the middle of undressing.

For a split second, you held your breath as your gazes met.

But then it clicked.

When you looked at Azriel, you knew. There wasn’t a single doubt in your mind that you’d gladly hand over your heart to this male even if it meant giving him the power to crush it into a thousand pieces. You’d rather hurt than to not have him in your life at all.

Azriel dropped the phone onto the floor and swept you up into his arms. The rain fell onto the quiet street as you wrapped your arms around his neck. He buried his face into the crook of your shoulder, breathing deeply as hot tears trailed onto your skin.

Before you knew it, you were crying too. All the anguish and emptiness of being apart hit you all at once.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered over and over again. “I’m sorry for not fighting harder for us.”

“It’s alright, Az.” You took his face in your hands, swiping at the tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’m proud of you for learning how to fight for yourself. I think some part of me was always waiting for this day to come and maybe that’s why I chose Eris because I knew I could never love him like I love you. You’re the love of my life, Azriel and you always will be.”

“I love you,” he breathed. “I love you so much that I’m willing to face my own demons if it means being a better man for you. You are my home. I am yours and you are mine.”

Azriel cupped your cheek, gently brushing away the droplets of water.

“I love you, Azriel. I always have and I always will.”

When he leans down to kiss you, the weight of the world falls off of your shoulders. Reuniting with him in the middle of this quiet street while the rain drenched the both of you felt right.

It felt like coming home.

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